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Join me as I discover and re-create recipes to fit my family's many food allergies.
I will be focusing on foods that do not include the nightshade family, gluten, soy, natural flavors, peanuts, MSG, nutmeg, cumin, raspberries, cherries, oats, pork, pumpkin, chamomile, pistachios, corn (unless it is organic), preservatives, food colors, natural and artificial flavors, cottonseed oil, spinach, aged & colored cheeses (cream cheese & mozzarella are OK, Monterey Jack is OK in moderation), yeast (unless in safe bread), anything cured, aged, fermented or malted. We also only use milk in moderation. The nightshade family is a particularly long list and includes spices, potatoes (sweet are fine), tomatoes, peppers & more.
Whew, yes, this is all a long list. What an adventure it is to cook this way.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Meat Loaf

Meat loaf might not seem too exciting, but we really like it. My problem was that I could not find a gluten-free substitute for oatmeal or bread, that we really liked the taste of in meatloaf. I tried a lot of gluten-free crackers before hitting on one that didn't taste weird or have a weird texture in the meatloaf. What worked for us was Crunchmaster Rice Crackers in the toasted sesame flavor. It added wonderful flavor. You can find it at Costco, gluten-free stores and some regular grocery stores.



The recipe I used comes from The Better Homes and Gardens: The New Cook Book. It is the Create-Your-Own Meat Loaf recipe. Which is what I have done. :-)

Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

1 beaten egg
1/4 cup finely crushed Crunchmaster Rice Crackers
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
1/2 tsp oregano or other herb you like
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground white pepper or regular black pepper
1 lb. ground beef

Directions:

In a mixing bowl combine egg; crushed crackers, milk; onion and carrot, and if desired; herb; salt and pepper. Add ground meat and mix well.
Put mixture into a loaf pan. Pat down and smooth out.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until no pink remains.
Transfer to a serving plate so meat is not sitting in grease. Serves 4.


Tips:

An easy way to crush the crackers is to put them in wax paper and roll a glass back and forth over them.

When I need to use only a part of an onion in a recipe, I freeze the extra in wedges. It is very easy to cut up the onion while it is still frozen. No tears and you can chop it very finely.



3 comments:

  1. Unfortunately, the crunchmasters crackers are not night-shade free as they contain potato starch. See the 3rd ingredient in their website-listed ingredients list:

    INGREDIENTS. Brown Rice Flour, Sesame Seeds, Potato Starch, Safflower Oil, Flax Seeds, Quinoa Seeds, Amaranth Seeds, Chia Seeds, Millet, Tamari Soy Sauce Powder (Tamari Soy Sauce (soybeans, salt), Maltodextrin [corn], Salt), Sea Salt. Contains Soy.

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    2. Some of the Crunch Masters crackers do list potato starch but other varieties do not. Check the label.

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